Arbor Brasserie Greff Blonde

Brewed by Arbor Brewing Company Pub & Eatery
Style: Sour Ale
Ann Arbor, Michigan USA

Bottled May 2009; Sampled September 2009
This 750ml bottle has a ridiculously difficult cork to remove. The beer is quite well carbonated as an extremely careful / soft pour still yields a four finger thick, light tan, off-white colored head. The head leaves a lot of lacing on the sides of the glass and subsides with an interesting, deeply pockmarked surface. The beer is a murky amber color that shows a hazed, though not opaque, copper-amber hue when held up to the light as well as a ton of streaming bubbles. The aroma smells first an foremost of fruit (ripe pear, ripe-aromatic apples, floral plums, tart white wine grapes), there is a backdrop of oak that provides a touch of spice , an earthiness and some pepper as well as some woody tannic character and the finish has a grassy, touch of cracker-like grain to it. The nose is really quite floral and quite fruity, it is really pretty distinct; as it warms notes of sour-apple jolly rancher start to become noticeable, as does a green, unripe fruit note, a touch of mustiness and a light, musky Brettanomyces character if you dig for it. It only smells lightly tart though, and from the aroma I wouldn’t necessarily guess it was a sour beer.

Lightly tart tasting, certainly not anything near aggressive; in fact I wouldn’t really characterize this as a sour beer, though it does have a light tartness to it. Fruity tasting, as the aroma suggested, with notes of floral pear, ripe apple and some lightly tart / sweet plum notes being the most noticeable. This actually has a certain quality that reminds me of Apple Cider (I think some oxidized malt might be accentuating this). A touch of earthy spiciness in the finish shows the coriander note. Despite being quite dry, the fruitiness and floral aspects contribute a perceived sweetness. There is a touch of grassiness, and a floral note that makes me think of wildflowers, perhaps a touch of honeysuckle and some orange blossom notes (possibly brought out by the orange peel). The oak is very subtle in the flavor, it starts to come out a bit more as the beer warms; it lends to the spiciness of the finish and contributes a hint of tannic structure to the body. This is not nearly as funky as something influenced by Hanssens; there is some very soft mustiness, as well as a touch of Brettanomyces butyric character in the finish. The body of this beer is on the light side, but there is still some residual malt body as well as a touch of oak-driven fullness.

This is definitely a bit dark to be classified as a Blonde of any sort, but that is certainly a minor point and not really even a quibble. This is quite drinkable, even quite tasty, but I can’t quite help but feel a little disappointed. The description had me thinking this was going to be a sour beer, but it really isn’t. Even the funkiness is on the soft side, in fact if one had to pigeon hole this into a style, I would say it fits quite well as a rustic, farmhouse Saison; the soft tartness and funkiness seem characteristic of what can happen in this style over time. I think I would have enjoyed this beer more if my expectations had been led in that direction. The mix of fruity, earthy, spicy, musty, grassy and subtly oaky play quite well together in this beer. I find myself enjoying this beer after my expectations have been given some time to shift.

2006 750mL Bottle. Boozy acetone and aldehyde aroma. Apples. It rather subtle and throws a bit of wet, soppy grain, but the volatiles are distinct. Pours a brilliant hazed peachy orange and gold, with a nice rim in frothy white. Ahhhhh. Bitter, solvent heavy acetone flavor. Sick. Tangy with some apple cider, then just poisonous levels of acetone. Acetic. Acidic. Dangerous. The body is okay, but there’s no flavor in there that I want to sit around and enjoy. A faint bit of EKG-like dusty hops in the finish. Drain pour.

Bottle. Body-dark gold with a thin film of bubbles, medium ring of bubbles. Nose-light funk, sour, vinous, almost bretty, lightly geuze like. Taste-light white grape, chardonnay, light funk/brett, medium CO2, champagne, surprisingly sweet, light vinegar. Excellent. Very nicely done. Good balance of sour and sweet.

Bottle thanks to bu11zeye. Color is copper colored with an ok sized whead. Smell is fruity, grapes, slight funk, and oak. Some sourness in the taste, dry, some funk, and wood. Pretty good.

(750ml bottle, 2006 vintage) Pours a cloudy golden orange body with a medium off-white head. Aroma of barnyard, pineapple, melon, apricot, mustiness, and balsamic vinegar. Flavor of sourness, oak, fruit, and apple cider vinegar with a dry finish. Nice!

From 10-Beer Flight at Arbor Brewing Company Brewpub on December 1, 2008. Pretty dark for a blonde ale! Very amber, sweet aroma, almost of a sweet ciger. Flavor reminds me of a strange, powdery European hard candy. Very floral.

2006 Bottle from bu11zeye. Pours with a small off-white head that goes. Good Lacing and a hazy golden body. Aroma is a little bit sour with pepper, ginger, coriander, some grapee tannins and bread. Tastee is sour and a bit peppery with corriander. Fruity, sweet and sour twang. Lightly fizzy and dry. Very drinkable, would love to have more.

bottle from bu11zeye. mucky amber pour with a tiny bit of froth. sour notes with oranges and cherries. very smooth on the palate with a great tart flavor and an easy finish.